Covens and Proxies

59

Slenderman looks furious when you shut the door, having come completely out of the blue. But, before he can make a remark, you beat him to it. "I have the cure."

He sets his papers down. "Well? Where is it?"

You pause. "Well, I don't have the physical manifestation of it-" he starts looking mad again, "but I'm only a couple of days from getting there!" He pauses again. "To make it I need to be locked in a cell."

He cocks a brow before laughing heavily. "That's very clever, girl, but you cannot hide or run from your punishment. Regardless, I must give you credit for being so creative."

You startle, confused for a moment before realizing he doesn't believe you. "Sir," you cross the room to his desk, "I made the cure in a cell a hundred feet under ground. Wouldn't it only make sense for the cure to be made in similar conditions?"

He stops laughing, "Explain to me what you mean."

"The virus is only a physical form of my hate, injected into some harmless specks of dirt. I have to do the same to the cure, or it'll take decades to figure it out."

He pauses, thinking, before nodding. "Very well. Come with me."

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Toby's POV

I pace outside Slenderman's office for what feels like hours until he opens the door. I try to look around him, see where my mate is, but I don't find her.

"Go to your quarters, Tobias. She's working." He demands.

I stop, trying to convince myself she's not where I think she is. "You did-didn't put her in..." I trail off, unable to finish the sentence. My eyes unconsciously are drawn to the sliding shelf, fresh scuff marks staining the dark wooden floor.

He nods. "She's in my personal block on her request. Don't worry, she won't be harmed."

A flash of red crosses my vision, my knuckle splitting on the door frame. "When is-is she going to come ou-t?"

"She did not care to share that with me. Whenever she's done, she'll hit a button I installed next to the door. It'll signal for me to fetch her." He moves to shut the door, but my foot stops it. He looks me in the burning eyes, my anger starting to roil like boiling water in my gut.

"I promise-ise you, sir, that if-if you touch her-"

My breath is knocked from my lungs, a tentacle wrapped in a crushing grip around my neck while he pins me. "Choose your next words very carefully, Tobias Rogers. I salvaged you from the steaming pile of cinders. Don't forget who your master is."

He lets go, letting me collapse to my knees while air rushes into me again. His door slams shut before I catch my breath, leaving me in the silent hall.

Grumbling, I storm down to the lounge. Maybe Hoodie or Masky will let me blow off some steam. Inside, Angel and Painter are gambling against Candypop. Clockwork sits at the counter with EJ, Natalie obviously being drunk off her ass.

Four of the five look up expectantly, which means they must have heard my argument with (Y/n) on her way to His office. "She's self-quarantine-ing until she can fix Jeff. She's in Tar-tarus." I tell them, digging out the hard liquor.

"You're kidding me." EJ scoffs.

I just shake my head. "He said he's not going-oing to hurt her. We ju-just have to hope sh-e figures it out by the end-nd of the week." As if on cue, Cody almost breaks down the doors. I manage to blink before he has hold of my shirt.

"He let her into Hades?!" He spits, his gasmask protecting my ears from his likely high volume.

I push him off, his fury matching my own is a little unsettling. "Yeah. She'll-ll be out in a fe-few days, so deal wit-with it."

He slumps against the bar, obviously discouraged. I almost want to say something, but beside it's better I keep my mouth shut. Instead, I drink until I'm tipsy and head for my room; fully prepared to sleep her quarantine away.

Liu intercepts me in the halls, making me stifle a groan. How many more of her friends do I gotta deal with?

"I'm going after someone. Why don't you come with me?" He offers me one of my hatchets.

My sluggish thoughts urge my hands to stay at my sides, but the itch in my core is too strong. Gripping the steel weapon, I grin at the faded orange handle. "I'd be hap-happy to."

He leads the way outside, deep into the forest to the highway. It's quiet, even for the middle of the night. It's almost unsettling how quiet it is, making me jumpy.

Rightfully so, since a pocket knife lodges itself in the bark of a tree just next to me. Looking into the branches, it takes a moment to make out the silhouette of Chris--the proxy-hating friend of Jeff and Ej. And an occasional ally. Occasional.

She drops, smirking, and takes her knife back. "What're you doing out here, Rogers?"

I have to fight down the urge to punch her. "Looking-ooking to blow off ste-am. Why are you so-so close to Slender's bor-borders?"

She glances and Liu. "I heard about Jeff, obviously. And I think I pissed your girlfriend off."

I glare at Liu for telling her, giving her one more reason to stick around any longer then her regular visits. "Well he's ali-ve. And you should-uldn't be worried ab-bout pissing my girlf-friend off. She's not the- the one that bla-blames you for getting her-er kidnapped."

She looks shocked, pushing her mask up. "Why would you blame me?"

"Be-because it was your argu-gument that made her turn around-round and go back ho-me alone." I try not to snap as I keep walking, but she falls into step next to me.

"It was just banter. I didn't think she'd get so offended." She tries to defend herself.

I shake my head, gripping the handle of my axe until my knuckles turn white. "What-ever. It happened. Jeff-jeff got his ass ki-kicked for trying to get-et killed and she's self- -quarantining to fix him, so-o everything's perfectly fuck-ing fine."

She looks like she wants to say something, but Liu interjects--thankfully. "Chris, back off. His girlfriend might as well be his wife and she's locked in Tartarus."

Her jaw drops. Slenderman's 'special space' is so infamous, even those outside of his circle know all too well it's danger. "Voluntarily?"

He nods. Red runs through my blood, my axe lodging into the side of a tree. I blink and I've cut halfway through it and panting, my arms aching. "You two-two do whatever you-re going to do-do. I ne-ed to kill some-one." Growling, I stock off towards town on my own--leaving them to talk out their feelings or some shit like that.

Reaching (Y/n)'s house, I black out; letting my anger and blood thirst take over my body.